Levine Science Research Center

Building Description

The Levine Science Research Center (LSRC) is one of the largest single site interdisciplinary research facilities in the United States. Opened in 1994, the LSRC was hyped as a “building without walls” because of the interdisciplinary research that takes place within. The LSRC has over 340,000 square feet of space, composed of multi-purpose space, academic offices, classrooms, and meeting rooms. The building is home to the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, the Pratt School of Engineering, the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, the Department of Computer Science, the Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, and the Department of Developmental Cell and Molecular Biology. There are over 50 conference rooms and 100 research labs in the LSRC. The entire facility including bathrooms is handicap accessible.

History

The Levine Science Research Center was a seven year $77 million project completed in 1994. The endeavor was taken on to strengthen Duke’s commitment to the research sciences. Upon the completion of the project, the LSRC now houses offices of more than one thousand faculty members, visiting scholars, and research staff; fifty conference rooms and discussion areas; and approximately one hundred research laboratories. In an attempt to make the imposing structure fit in to the campuses style, the architecture borrows styles from all over campus. The LSRC incorporates the Gothic style of the main quadrangle and fuses that with the contemporary character of the Medical and Engineering Center’s to create a look all its own.
The building was created to emphasize the integration of medical and non-medical research with a focus on reducing the traditional barriers between scientific disciplines. The future is bright for the LSRC. There will be continued emphasis on interdisciplinary science research, as well as an increased focus on undergraduate interaction with scientists from all disciplines.